Traction-rope railway



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

s. H. TERRY.

TRACTION ROPE RAILWAY. No. 251,317. Patented 1360.20.1881.

WITNESSES NTOR gaf/CN M ATTORNEYS.

(No Model.) 2sneens-shee1; 2.

S. H'. TERRY.

TRAGTION ROPE RAILWAY.

No. 251,317. Patented Deo. 20,1881.

" To all whom fit may concern:

UNITED STATES VPATENT O'EEICE.

SAMUEL H. TERRY, OF GUTHRIE, MISSOURI.

TRACTION-ROPE RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 251,317, dated December20, 1881.

Application nledMarch 21,1881. (No model.)

Be it known that I, SAMUEL HOPKINS TER- RY, of Guthrie, Callaway county,Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Traction-RpeRailways; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which-Figure 1 is a plan view of a main and a side track with my improvementsapplied thereto. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the main track,gutter, and a covered opening in the line yy of Fig. 1, and a front viewof a car on the track, looking in the opposite direction from the arrowin Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the traction-rope clutch. Fig.4 is a side elevation of a switch-bar pivoted in a slot in the gutter.Fig. 5 is a side view of a guide for the clutch. Fig. 6 is across-section of the gutter in the line ma: of' Fig. l.

My invention relates to traction-rope railways; and it consists incertain improvements in my 4invention for traction-rope railways forwhich an application for Letters Patent filed November 23,1880, was madeby me, said present improvements consisting, first, of a series offriction-rolls for the traction-rope, secured to and arranged on oneside of removable sections ofthe gutter, said sections being providedwith suitable openings arranged in connection with covered basins orwells in the street, whereby an open channel without obstructions on oneside is formed, and the refuse matter in the gutter may readily be sweptinto the 'covered basins and removed therefrom, the covered basins beingconnected preferably with a sewer or water-way, and the sections may beremoved when necessary to adjust said rollers, or for other purposes.

My invention further consists in certain improvements in automaticswitches; and my'in- B B are the gutters of the main and side trackroads, placed midway between the rails, and covered or not, as desired.The construction of the gutters is the same in both tracks, consistingof side pieces, c c', resting on the cross-ties or laid upon plates dresting on the cross-ties.

e c are endless traction-ropes passing around drums driven by stationaryengines, and extending through the gutters of the main and side tracks,and supported by anti-friction rolls a2, journaled at one end in theside piece c of a gutter, and supported by the. frames a3, bolted to theside piece, c, in which the opposite or inner ends of saidfriction-rolls are journ aled. A lug or projection, at, is preferablysecured to the inner part of each frame a3 to prevent the traction-ropefrom being drawn ot'f the rolls.

The gutters B B are made in sections, bolted together, and provided'with openings a5, preferably made in the side c of the gutter, whichlead into the covered openings, basins, or wells c2 in the street. Bythis construction it will be seen that an open channel is formed withoutobstructions on one side thereof, and any refuse matter contained in thegutter may be swept into the openings in the same leading into thecovered basins in the street, from which the refuse matter may readilybe removed, any water collecting in the covered basins passing oftl intothe sewer.

By making the gutters in sections any section may be removed and therolls, if necessary, adjusted or any repairs made.

The car is connected to the-rope by a clutch secured to the under sideof the car and fitted for operation from the platform to catch andrelease the rope.

The clutch is of the same construction, as far as clamping the rope isconcerned, as described land claimed in my application for LettersPatent tiled November 25, 1880, above alluded to, with the exceptionthat in lieu of employing two wedges, secured to two arms connected withthe spindle 1", I employ but one arm, q', and wedge q, sliding in amortise, o', in the standard o, a removable plate, p', being mortised inthe opposite standard,p, and the traction-rope clamped between the wedgeand removable plate.

IOOv

m represents a longitudinal lslot in the side c of the gutter B of themain track, near Vits intersection with the side track, in which slot ispivoted a lever, m2, provided with cams m3 m4, the former being higherthan the latter. One end of the lever m2 is connected by arod, 'm5, witha pivotedfrog, m6, connected with the side track. In case two frogs areemployed for right and left side tracks at the same point, two similarlevers may be employed, operating in slots in the sides of the gutter tooperate both frogs. Y

'Ihe clutch on each car is provided with a projection, m7, on avertically-adjustable bar, m8, connected with the clutch, which may beadjusted at the starting of a car to strike the cam for operating thefrog and guiding a car on the main or side track', as desired.

If it is desired that a car should run on the side track, the rod m isadjusted so that the projection m7 will strike the cam m4 as the carmoves along and throw the pivoted frog mG over to the main-track railadjacent thereto, so that the car will run on the side track. In likemanner if it is desired that a car should run on the main track, theswitch having been set for the siding, the rod m8 is adjusted so thatthe projection m7 will ride over the cam m4 without touching it, andwill strike the projection m3 and throw the frog m6 into the positionshown iu Fig. l.

rIhe traction-ropes e e of both tracks are parallel with each other fora short distance along the main track, the traction-rope e of the sidetrack diverging from the main-track traction-rope at the intersection ofthe tracks,

and following the side-rail track. As a car approaches a side track inthe direction ot' the arrow themain-track traction-rope passes betweenthe vertical parts of an inclined halfguide, g, (see Fig.1,) made of Tshape and secured to the bottom of the gutter B, which half-guide actsby its wedge shape to raise the box x and open the clutch. By means of aspring, b2, attached to the bottom of the car the flexible clutch isthrown over or aside toward the traction-rope e', where, guided by V-shaped flanges or lips g3 to the double-inclined guide g in the gutterof the side track similar to g above described, it is opened and forceddown by the T form of the guide to seize the traction-rope of the sidetrack, by reason of the slide fr', (see Figs. 2 and 3,) the lower end ofwhich grasps the top of the guide g, and rises with the inclination ofthe guide, thus drawing out the wedge q by means of the bellcrank leverq and connecting-rod m, by which the wedge q is connected to the slide`In the descent of the clutch on the opposite side of thedouble-inclined guide g the slide fr is forced down by the T form of theguide, and the connecting-rod will descend with it, and being connectedto the bell-crank lever q will force the wedge q into its mortise o andclamp the traction-rope. It will be thus seen that the clutch is securedto the traction-rope durlin g the transit of the car by the wedgemechanism described, and is released at the junction of the main with aside track by the guides, which also force it to seize thetraction-rope. The clutch is secured iiexibly to the bottom of a car bya pin secured to alug attached to the bottom of a car, saidV pin passingthrough one of a series of adjusting-holes; or the clutch may be securedliexibly by a hinge to the bottom of the car, or in any other,suitablemany ner. rIhe clutch is also released from the traction-rope by a leveroperated by the conductor, when it is desired to stop the car to let offor take up passengers.

The clutches of the cars intended to be run on the main line only are iugeneral not pro-A vided with a spring, b2,but bythe construction abovedescribed the clutch, in such case having been released from thetraction-rope of the main track, passes yalong the main track and comesin contact with a doublev guide, g2, in the glitter of the main track,which causes the clutchagain to be opened and forced down to seize thetraction-rope of the main track.

The spring b2 may be adjusted by a lever applied to each car, so thatthe clutch may be thrown over by the driver if desired to run on a sidetrack, or not thrown over so as to run on the main track.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The combination, with the gutter B,proi vided with side openings, ai", of the rolls a2, ar-

ranged on one side of the gutter, traction-rope e, and covered basins orwells c2, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the gutter B, hav ing side openings, a5, offrames a3, bolted to one side of the gutter and provided with lugs a,rolls a2, arranged on one side of the gutter, traction-rope e, andcovered basins or wells c2, substantially as described.

3. rIhe combination, with a gutter, B, provided with a longitudinalslot, m', in its side, of thelever-m2, pivoted in the slot and providedwith the cam ends m3 m4, rod m5, frog m6, and a traction-rope-clutchpendent from a car, substantiall y as described, and for the purpose setforth.

4. The combination, with the gutters B B', provided with a main line anda siding traction-rope, of ahalf-guide, g, secured to the gutter of theAmain track, a clutch constructed substantially as described, a springor lever, b2, and a double guide, g', in the gutter of the side trackfor opening the clutch and clamping it to the traction-rope of the sidetrack, substantiall y as described.

5. The combination, with the gutters B B and traction-ropes e e', of thehalf-guide g, spring b2, pivoted clutch, and double guide g',substantially as described.

6. In a traction-rope railway, the combination, with a car, of a clutchiiexibly secured thereto, and spring b2, substantially as described.

7. In a traction-rope railway, a clutch pro- IOO IIO

IIS

vided with an adjustable rod, m8, having, a andfrogm, substantially asdescribed,an d for projection, m7, thereon, in combination with thepurpose set forth. the lever m2, substantially as described. 8. In atraction-rope railway, the combinas H' TERRY 5 tion, with the lever m2,provided with cams m3 Witnesses:

m4 on its ends, of a clutch provided with an ad SOLON O. KEMON, justablerod, m8, having projection m7, rod m5, CHAs. A. PETTIT.

